On the cusp of another school year, Berkeley Patch is looking into local perceptions of the public schools in Berkeley. How do they rank against one another? How do you judge a school? Do qualifiers like test scores and graduation rates accurately reflect how "good" or "bad" a school is? 

Students in the Berkeley Unified School District go back to school on Tuesday, Aug. 30 (Monday, Aug. 29 is a teaching training day.) Although this past year saw , Berkeley still falls behind when it comes to averages for Alameda County. Enrollment has dropped in the last decade by 403 students, and between 2009 and 2011, more than 400 students transferred out of Berkeley schools to districts like Albany.

The 2011 STAR test results (see below) show that the top scorers for Berkeley's middle and elementary schools schools are:

• King Middle School for English, math and science
• Willard Middle School for history
• Jefferson Elementary for English, math and science. 

Only 23.6 percent of Berkeley High School students scored proficient or above in math, with less than half scoring at or above their grade level in history and science. 

Is your child starting a new school? If so, how did you choose which one they would attend?

If your child is continuing at the same school, what has their experience been like? How has your experience been, as a parent?

Have you decided to leave the Berkeley Unified School District for a charter school, private school or alternative district? Why?

Is your child coming to a Berkeley school as an out-of-district student? Where was your former district and what prompted the decision to leave?

2011 STAR Results for Berkeley Schools:

Berkeley High School:

Subject: % Proficient or Above: English 52.7 History 42.4 Math 23.6 Science 41.2

King Middle School:

Subject: % Proficient or Above: English 70.9 History 53.9 Math 69 Science 64.1

Longfellow Arts and Tech School:

Subject: % Proficient or Above: English 63.8 History 54.9 Math 66.5 Science 61.5

Willard Middle School:

Subject: % Proficient or Above: English 65.5 History 60.7 Math 55.6 Science 59.7

Cragmont Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 67.1 Math 78 Science 69

Emerson Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 71.1 Math 70.1 Science 68.1

Jefferson Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 77.8 Math 88.4 Science 76.6

Leconte Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 48.9 Math 61.9 Science 34.1

Malcolm X Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 70.7 Math 78 Science 46.4

John Muir Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 56.6 Math 60.1 Science 44.2

Oxford Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 65.5 Math 80.8 Science

67.2

Rosa Parks Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 57 Math 69.5 Science 43.6

Thousand Oaks Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 62.1 Math 74.4 Science 63.2

Washington Elementary School:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 64.2 Math 78 Science 60

Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier:

Subject % Proficient or Above: English 65.7 Math 73 Science 64.2

Access the STAR system online here.